Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew SC | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Columbus Crew SC quite literally could not have had an earlier chance to get revenge for Toronto FC ending their playoff run in last year's Eastern Conference Championship. While Saturday afternoon's MLS opener will have an element of déjà vu about it, Columbus will undeniably feel like a different team without the departed attacking tandem of Ola Kamara and Justin Meram. Even if new arrival Gyasi Zardes flourishes in coach Gregg Berhalter's system, he's a stylistic departure from Meram's craftiness or Kamara's precision.

And yet Columbus just might be catching Toronto at the right time, fresh off their CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 triumph, and with the first leg of their quarterfinal against UANL Tigres set for Wednesday. That said, with signings like Gregory van der Weil, Auro and Ager Aketxe now in the fold, the Reds still have more depth to manage fixture congestion than just about any other MLS side.

Toronto FC

With Auro making his debut in the first leg of Toronto's aggregate victory against Colorado and Aketxe coming on for his in the second leg, the league opener may well represent van der Weil's turn. The Dutch international is healthy, but he's been on family duty after his girlfriend gave birth to the couple's first child.

Columbus Crew SC

No one is expecting Zardes alone to make up for the 31 goals Kamara and Meram scored last season. But he should get plenty of opportunity to recapture the peak attacking form he's been missing for a couple years now; Columbus' other forwards, Adam Jahn and Edward Opoku, have combined for fewer career MLS goals than the 16 Zardes scored in his career-best 2014 season.